In just one month, BBC iPlayer viewers will be required by law to hold a full TV licence, as the government cracks down on the 'iPlayer loophole'.

From 1 September, households will need to be covered by a licence to download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch-up TV - following a July 7 Parliament ruling.

Currently households only need a licence to watch broadcast TV - including through Sky and Freeview - however, new laws mean you'll need to hold a £145.50 a year licence to watch live BBC channels, stream or download programmes on demand.

Anyone who uses the online catch-up service from midnight on 1 September without being covered by a valid licence will be breaking the law and risk prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000 – the same penalty for breaching the current rules.

With just 31-days to go until the ruling takes effect, an advisory notice will be posted on the iPlayer site - and TV Licensing will send letters to unlicensed addresses advising them of the change in the law.

Will this change in the law apply to students?

Students will need to be covered to watch iPlayer on-demand (Image: Getty)

Yes. Anyone that downloads or watches BBC programmes on demand – including catch-up TV – on BBC iPlayer will need to be covered by a TV Licence. As before, you need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch or record live TV on any channel.

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Will I be covered to use BBC iPlayer when I’m on the go or abroad?

If you already have a TV Licence for your address, you will be covered to download or watch iPlayer when you’re on the go, provided the device you’re using to watch or download programmes isn’t plugged into the electricity mains at a separate address. If the device is plugged in at a separate address, you will need to be covered by a licence at that address.

At the moment, you aren’t able to stream or download programmes on iPlayer while abroad. But you should be able to access programmes that you’ve downloaded before going overseas (available for 30 days after they’re shown on live TV).